NaNoWriMo, also known as a National Novel Writing Month, also known as a challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November. Also known as a megaproject for writers. It has a
website.
Now, bear in mind, they don't have to be good words. The idea is motivating people to write a novel, or just write in general. Got a novel in your head but not on paper? Well now you can have the real genuine article, for the low low cost of time. And not even that much! Although the end result isn't going to as polished as the novels you find in a store, every writer needs to learn that they can and will revise whatever they write and to get to that point they need to write a first draft.
Part of the fun of Nanowrimo
isn't those weird capitalizations in the name is the social element to it. The website allows you to update your current word count and compare it to other people's, plus see a neat little graph of how much you've written at each stage of the process. If you do it with people you know you can write together, and of course share the end novel.
No particular skills are required, nor even a particular interest in writing. There are, if I remember correctly, prizes, but its nothing major. Nanowrimo is mostly what you get out of it. People do it for the challenge, for the practice, for the entertainment, for the social aspect, for the end product, for bragging rights, because their friends coerced them into it, and more.
I've only done Nanowrimo once, last year, and for various reasons set myself a smaller 30,000 word limit which I met. But because that's wimpy, I'm doing the full 50,000 year. Who knows if I'll succeed. Myself in a month and a day, that's who.
Seriously, their website is pretty cool. If you want to participate you should definitely check it out. And you should want to participate, this thing is awesome.